Less is More, more or less
by The Mulberry
Summary: A vicous demon escapes into the world after hundreds of years of imprisonment. While the team hunts it down, an interesting change in Kagome and Inuyasha's relationship occurs. HAD TO RELOAD THIS STORY
1. Chapter 1

OH MY DAMN I HAD TO RELOAD THIS STORY CAUSE I ACCIDENTALLY DELETED IT! uhh i'm working on chapter two so hang in there my two fans that reviewed last time. you guys are runnin' my boat.

I don't own Inuyasha. If I did I would continue the series until I was dead.

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The first scream was behind me. I whip around, screaming myself as I see the priestess before me burst into flame. And then another, and another, and another...

I hear shouts coming from the monks, and I worry for Miroku's safety. Then a child screams, and Sango's face goes through my mind. As people try pushing through the immense crowd, they light each other on fire in their attempts to escape. All the while, the deafening roar from the temple does not cease. In fact, it increases in intensity, and I realize that this is to get us to stop praying, and that if we stop the inevitable will surely happen.

But who was doing this? Who would want him to break free?

A wave of heat washes over me, and I cry out in pain as a burning priestess sets my sleeve on fire. Kaede immediately grabs my arm and tries to put out the fire with her kimono, and does so, but not before I have been badly burned. She starts hauling me toward the group of villagers. She shouts something, but I can not hear it above everything else. As she drags me along, the Solar Eclipse begins to end, and I wonder if Taiyousha will escape.

* * *

_**18 HOURS EARLIER**_

* * *

"Ramen?"

"Check."

"Potato chips?"

"Check."

"Medical supplies? Sleeping bags? Shampoo?"

"Check, check, and check."

I swing my overweight pack over my shoulder with a grunt. One glance a my younger brother and I know what he's thinking.

"Sota," I say, bending down so we can see eye to eye, "I'll be back in a week, I promise."

Sota looks up at me with a doubt, but gives me a hug anyways. "I love you, sis."

This surprises me. I've taken a dozen trips to The Feudel Era, but not once has my sibling exressed such emotion at my departure.

Instead of pointing this out, I hug him back and murmur, "I love you too Sota." I walk over to the well and swing my legs over, glancing back at my brother one last time and saying, "I'll be back in a week, I promise!" before plunging into the dark abyss of The Bone Eaters Well.

As I climb out of the well, a faint, harmonic sound in the distance catches my attention. And when I get out of the well, it's obvious that a festival is going on at the village.

The path to the village is decorated with bright, red lanterns that seem to float in mid-air. A black symbol is painted on the front of each and I can't help but feeling that I've seen it somewhere before.

Large. Loud. Packed... A few choice words I would use to describe the festival. People crowd around venders selling jewelry and food, fire dancers and magicians and other entertainment placed all over. As I walk, I recieve odd stares from people. I feel self-consciese at first, but after ten minutes of this I get used to it. I should really ask Kaede for a nice kimono.

Past the booths and venders, I see that the meadow has been filled with dozens- no, hundreds of small campsites. Men, women, and children crowd around small fires. I see priestess' and monks, too, all in small groups. People must have journeyed here, because the village does not have this high of a population.

"Kagome!" I turn around and see Miroku, walking toward me with a smile.

"Hey," I say. "What's the occasion?"

He looks surprised. "There is an Eclipse of the Sun tomorrow." He says. I continue to stare at him, hoping for more of an explanation.

"It's a full eclipse."

I wait.

"You know... The day of Darkness?"

I shake my head, giving Miroku an apolegetic smile. "In my time, we don't really celebrate Eclipses. They are more of a... scientific experience."

"Oh, I see."

Judging by the baffled expression he wears, Miroku doesn't see, but I keep my mouth shut.

A group of women walk by, giggling as Miroku gives them a suggestive smile. Their positive response makes him beam even more. As he starts to inch toward them, he says, "Kagome, something has come up. If you are looking for Inuyasha, he is in Kaede's home." And with an unspoken promise that Sango would hear about this, Miroku quickly skips away toward the young group of ladies.

I roll my eyes and head in the direction of Lady Kaede's home. "He'll never learn." I mutter.

As I twist and turn through the crowd and tents, it's apparent that I've attracted more attention than I hoped. People actually clear a path for me as I make my way through the crowd, and my pace quickens at the sound of someone shouting, "Is she part of the circus act?"

Relief floods through me when I see the hut. I practically sprint to it's door and slam it behind me. I drop my heavy load onto the floor with a thud, and awake a very startled, very human Inuyasha.

He draws his Tetsuiga and jumps, but then slides it back in it's sheath when he sees me.

"Don't scare me like that." He mutters.

"Sorry," I say. "I forgot it was a new moon." I pause, not sure how to continue. "How do you feel?"

"Weak." He says. Inuyasha plops down on the floor and adds a log to the low burning fire. "Vulnerble. Miserable. Every emotion I normaly feel has intensified."

I walk over and sit next to him. The music from outside changes tune, and that brings me to my next question. "What's going on?"

Inuyasha gets up and looks out the window. He grumbles something I can't hear, and then looks over at me. "Tomorrow is The Day of Darkness."

"So I've heard..."

He presses his hand against his head. "My head hurts- I don't feel like explaining this."

"Then I will." Kaede walks into the room carrying medical herbs and other various bundles of supplies.

"Good," Inuyasha says. And with that he sits down beside the fire. I help Kaede wth the herbs and sit down next to him.

Kaede sits cross legged, opposite us, warming her hands in the heat of the flame.

I search her face, the eye patch covering a large portion of it. She looks old- and I don't mean her age. Years of battle and protecting the village have worn her down. Kaede was the first person in the Feudal Era I decided I could trust. She was the reason the villagers ended up trusting _me_, and I guess if you think about it a little _too_ hard, she's the reason I'm alive. If Kaede hadn't put the enchanted jewels around Inuyasha's neck, I'm almost sure Inuyasha would have killed me, thinking I was Kikyo.

Of course, I would never voice that last thought aloud.

I don't want to, but I wonder how much time Kaede has left in this world. With a heavy sigh, she begins the story.

"Hundreds of years ago... there lived a monk. He was immensly powerful. They say that he could fight a thousand demons at once, defeat them all and emerge the battle unscathed."

Inuyasha snorts loudly. I shoot him daggers.

"His name was Taiyousha.

"Taiyousha had two brothers. An elder, and a younger. Monks as well, but not nearly as powerful as Taiyousha. In fact, Taiyousha and his brothers would journey together to vanquish especially evil demons. Their names have been lost to the ages, but it is said that the three siblings loved each other very much.

"Taiyousha ended up wedding a lovely women, and together they had a son and a daughter."

"Then Taiyousha finds a cursed sword and turns into a demon. The end."

"Inuyasha!" I snap. "Don't interrupt!" Sure, he's a half demon, but I swear Buyo has more manners than he does.

Kaede casts Inuyasha a measurable glance before saying, "Inuyasha, I am sure Ye must know that is not how the tale ends."

Inuyasha mutters something unintelligible. I don't know if it's the new moon, but he seems to be bad mood.

"Please continue, Kaede."

"Very well. One summer day, Taiyousha's two brothers asked him to accompany them to slay a powerful demon. He declined, for his wife had fallen ill.

"The brothers fought. Taiyousha had always been there to guide his sibling and aid them in the heat of battle, what if something went wrong? But Taiyousha assured them that they could handle it. They couldn't. They did not realize how evil this particular demon was, and the elder was literally torn apart in front of his sibling.

"The younger brother managed to finish off the demon at the last moment, but to no avail, he lost his mind. He could not handle the sight of his older brother being slaughtered."

Kaede coughs loudly.

"How horrible..." I murmur.

She grins darkly. "Do not expect this story to improve. The first thing the crazed brother did was drink. Very un-holy, indeed, for a monk of his standards. But he drunk and drunk until whatever he had left of his mind was gone. All he could feel was anger. And in his drunken rage, the brother returned to Taiyousha's home. He had hoped he could confront his elder brother and blame him for the death of their brother. Instead, he found Taiyousha's very sick wife with both her children. He killed them. All of them."

I gasp. Inuyasha grunts again, so this time I elbow him in the stomache.

"Taiyousha was out collecting medicinal herbs for his wife. When he returned home, you can imagine how he reacted to what he found. His younger brother, covered in the blood of his kin. But before he could cast even one charm on him, his younger brother fled the scene.

"Taiyousha spent the next week praying and purifying the bodies of his family, but it was no use. Not even the great Taiyousha could bring them back. He felt the guilt of the death of his brother, his wife and children. He also lost his mind."

"I guess that was common back then," Interrupts Inuyasha. "Going insane."

Kaede and I ignore his comment and continue as if he didn't even speak.

"No one knows exactly how that powerful of a priest fell as easily as a regular human, but Taiyousha eventually sold his soul, much like Naraku did might I add, for the one thing he desired most at that point in his life; revenge. After the dark deal was done, Taiyousha easily tracked down his brother and murdered him, on the spot. When that was over, he went out on a crazed power search."

"How could he gain more power?" I ask. "I mean... wasn't he already an extremely powerful monk?"

"Well, all the power he had at that point was from his spiritual energy. Or I guess Ye could call it his "light" energy. The strength he was after was a dark, evil power. He came across a powerful sword, said to be as old as the Earth itself. They called it Bloodlick. It was so powerful it had it's own evil aura. Even if Ye are barely scratched by this blade, a toxic poison flows from the sword the moment it touches flesh and kills Ye within five minutes. And if Ye do not die, the sword has had a taste of your blood, so it shall force it's wielder to hunt Ye down until Ye have perished."

"Wow," I mumble. "He could almost beat Tetsuiga with that sword." I ignore the glare Inuyasha throws my way.

"Aye," Kaede agrees. "He could. He actually used Bloodlick to transform himself into the very thing he used to fight- a full fledged demon."

"So... then what happens?"

"Taiyousha was overcome by the aura from his new sword, and destroyed every living thing in his path. Monks and Priestess' gathered from all over, and they overcame and sealed Taiyousha in a temple during a full eclipse of the Sun."

There was going to be an eclipse tomorrow... so was it the aniversery or something? Were they celebrating his defeat?

"Every one hundred years there is another eclipse, just as it was the day of Taiyousha's encealment. During that time, the barrier that binds Taiyousha becomes thin and in danger of breaking. People from all over gather here and pray upon the shrine during the eclipse, and their prayers keep Taiyousha sealed. When it is over we hold another festival to celebrate another one hundred years of Taiyousha's encealment."

So all the people I saw gatherd at the campsites and at the festival... they're all here to pray? Wait... will we...

"Kaede, will we also be praying at the shrine?"

"Only you, Miroku, Sango, and I will be going. No offense, Inuyasha, but demon prayers will not exactly help trap a demon."

Inuyasha shrugs his shoulders. "As if I care."

"You and Shippo will be staying here with Kirara. Everyone in the village will be gone, so please keep an eye on things."

"Sure thing," He says, his eyes distant, staring at the fire. I see the bags under his eyes and I, myself am suddenly very tired.

"Kaede," I yawn, one last question popping into my head. "Where are Sango and Shippo? I saw Miroku, but..."

"They went looking for him right after I left here, I am sure they still are."

Later that night, Sango, Miroku and Shippo turn up, apologizing for their being so late. I see the tensness between Miroku and Sango as they move aroud the hut, and I wonder if I'll have to tell Sango about Miroku's little excersion after all.

When I notice the red mark on Miroku's cheek, I decide that I won't.

* * *

Review or die. That's my moto. No, really, I will seriously hunt you down using my pedophile skills and rape you if you do not review (kidding im a 14year old girl. but you never know so beware of stranger danger kids)


	2. Chapter 2

**What would happen if I said I owned everything?**

**Kidding I don't own anything.**

**Or do I?**

**No I don't god please don't sue me.**

* * *

"Inuyasha, are you sure you're gonna be okay here all alone?"

Inuyasha cracks an eye open from his position against the wall. He leans against it, arms folded in a manner of indifference with one eye shut against the sun.

He stares at me for a moment. I hate it when he does this. Sometimes I feel like Inuyasha can see right through me. "'Course I'll be fine." He snorts after a minute, closing his other eye. "I don't even know why you'd ask that, Kagome."

Well, I tried. Inuyasha never does appreciate a thoughtful gesture. I shrug. A second later, Kaede, Miroku, and Sango walk out of the hut.

"We best set forth," Kaede says, ushering our small group towards the forest. "The Eclipse begins in no more than a few hours!"

"'Kay." I glance back to Inuyasha. "Guess we'll see you later, then."

I'm not sure if he doesn't hear me or if he's ignoring us, because he says nothing as we start the journey toward the shrine.

Apparently, Taiyousha's temple isn't too far of a walk from the village. I was surprised earlier to find that most of the gathered monks and priestess' had already left, the remaining stragglers getting ready to leave.

We run into other small groups of monks and priestess' along the way. Again, I feel the eyes of curious strangers on me as we walk along the trail. I should be used to this by now, but some part of me feels that I should have dressed more the part of a priestess today.

As the four of us travel along the seemingly endless trail, my mind wanders to thoughts of Inuyasha. He's been acting strange lately. Well, stranger than normal. Quiet and irritable. I worry about him. He's always so gloomy and depressed, it's a rare occasion when I actually get to see him smile.

Sometimes I wonder if he's thinking of Kikyo. I mean, it's none of my business if he does. Why would I care? It's not like I'm jealous.

"Hey, Kagome, are you okay?" I look up to see Sango staring at me, eyes filled with worry. People can always read me so easily.

"Yeah," I laugh. "I'm fine. just a little nervous about the ritual, that's all."

"There be no need for nervousness." Kaede says, "Today will be the tenth time we perform this ceremony. Taiyousha has been sealed for a thousand years, he will not escape today."

"A thousand years..." I mutter. He must get lonely, being trapped in that temple all the time. But then I remember what he did to his family, how he became possessed by Bloodlick, and all my feelings of sorrow for him vanish.

Two hours into our walk we finally come upon a giant mass of priests and priestess' blocking the path. The line is slowly moving forward, but the eclipse is coming fast. We probably only have ten minutes until it starts.

As we enter a clearing, Taiyousha's temple looms before me. The giant stone structure has writings, symbols and spells engraved on every inch of it and towers over the field like a bad omen. There are no windows. No doors. In front of it priests and priestess' gather in three organized groups. Priests in one group, priestess' in another, and then men, women and children in a third.

"Miroku, ye join the other priests over there. Sango, go with the women and children." Kaede grabs my hand, "And ye come with me, Kagome." She pulls me toward the large mass of women, all dressed in their traditional, respectful red and white kimonos.

The commotion from the crowd quiets down when a tall, bearded man takes position in the middle of the three groups.

"Priests." His voice echoes off the trees, loud and confident. "Priestess', villagers, welcome to the tenth Day of Darkness!" Cheers erupt from the crowd, as if this was some big celebration and not a day where the difference between life and the apocalypse is the matter of people praying.

When everyone settles down, the man continues.

"One millenia ago, our ancestors sealed away the infamous demon known as Taiyousha during an eclipse of the sun. Every one hundred years marks the period during which the gate to his cell is at it's weakest. To ensure the continuation of his imprisonment, we must gather here on this very day every century and bless these grounds. We must..."

"Kaede," I whisper, bending down so the old woman could hear me. "Who is that?"

She gawks at me for a second, then seems to remember who she's speaking to.

"Why, that'd be the great Dainori, a priest renown for his spiritual power. He is a direct descendant of one of the very monks who defeated Taiyousha."

A few priestess' glare daggers at us. Their glares turn into deadly scowls when they see how I am dressed. I immediately return my attention to Dainori.

"...So it is today my brethren," He booms. "that we must once again come together and join forces to keep this demon sealed away!"

Dainori holds both hands out, and then presses his palms together and bows his head. At that moment a black dot blots out a part of the sun, and everyone in the field follows his example and we begin the ceremony.

I'm not sure what to pray for at first. I pray that we keep Taiyousha sealed, obviously, but I don't know what else they expect. I peek through my eyelids to see everyone else engrossed in their prayers.

Deep rumbles begin to shake the ground. Coupled with a low grumble that accompanies the earthquake.

A few people (including me) frantically scan the area. But most remain calm and continue praying. I'm tempted to ask Kaede what's going on, but I know that would disrupt many prayers. Why isn't anybody freaking out? I've taken enough trips to The Feudal Era to know that this does not happen often.

That's when it hits me.

_That's no earthquake,_ I realize, _It's _him.

People stumble and fall to the ground, but most of us keep our balance. Suddenly, I know what to do. I pray for my family and friends back home, for my friends here, in The Feudal Era. I pray that Sango and Kohaku will be reunited, and that Kohaku will be freed from Naraku. I pray that Miroku will take care of himself and not damage his wind tunnel any more. I pray for Shippo, that he will stay out of trouble and grow into a wonderful fox demon. I even pray for Kikyo.

I swear that it gets louder. I don't know if I can take much more of this. How many decibels can the human ear take? One hundred twenty? This has got to be louder than that. I breathe in deeply- I can't let fear get to me, my prayers will mean nothing.

And I pray for Inuyasha. I pray for the day that I wont see him sulking, the day where all he does is laugh and smile. I pray that he forgives himself of all his mistakes and that he will one day be able to enjoy himself.

The first scream is behind me. I whip around, screaming myself as I see the priestess before me burst into flame. And then another, and another, and another...

I hear shouts coming from the monks, and I worry for Miroku's safety. Then a child screams, and Sango's face goes through my mind. As people try pushing through the immense crowd, they light each other on fire in their attempts to escape. All the while, the deafening roar from the temple does not cease. In fact, it increases in intensity, and I realize that this is to get us to stop praying, and that if we stop the inevitable will surely happen.

But who was doing this? Who would want him to break free?

A wave of heat washes over me, and I cry out in pain as a burning priestess sets my sleeve on fire. Kaede immediately grabs my arm and tries to put out the fire with her kimono, and does so, but not before I have been badly burned. Kaede grabs my uninjured arm and starts hauling me toward the group of villagers. She shouts something, but I can not hear it above everything else. As she drags me along, the Solar Eclipse begins to end, and I wonder if Taiyousha will escape.

The roaring stops abruptly. Everything seems to slow down. We all stop running and take a deep breath. No one else is burning, but I can't say much for the people that were on fire. Did we pray long enough? Was it a false alarm? I grab Kaede's hand so we are not separated.

"Are you okay?"

I don't hear her answer.

A crack of thunder. I glance back in horror as the temple splits and begins to crumble. Debris and dust fill the air, along with the screams of every person in the surrounding area.

Like something out of a science fiction movie, the plants and vegetation surrounding the shrine begin to wither. Their color drains into a lifeless brown and they fall to the ground and dissolve to ash, leaving nothing but the field covered in a fine layer of soot. Slowly, the miasma begins to creep toward us, and in one violent crack the rest of the shrine breaks apart and is coroded by the evil aura.

We've all been turned into wild animals, relying on our instincts to survive. And we all obey and give in to the most basic instinct that every creature in nature depends on.

Run.

* * *

"Kagome!"

I glance around, letting out a sigh of relief when I remember everyone's gone for the day.

How long was I asleep? I look out the window in time to see the end of the eclipse. They'll be back in a few hours and then I can finally rest.

I walk outside and breath in the fresh air. Shippo and Kirara play near the forest, so deluded and carefree that a moment of jealousy stabs through me.

The strangest dreams have been haunting my sleep. For a fortnight I have not been able to have one full nights rest because of the terror they bring me. Though I would never admit it to anyone, my dreams are of Kagome.

Nightmares, more well put. They are each alike in some ways, that being they all end with Kagome's death. Whether it be in her own era, by Naraku's hands or even her own stupidity, every single one of my dreams for the past two weeks have been cursed with the same horrible nightmare. I'm sleep deprived and antsy. The only way I know I'll be fully rested tomorrow is because in each one of these dreams there is an eclipse occurring somewhere in the sky.

I almost followed her there. I wanted to be there in case anything happened, but got cold feet the last second. The monks and priestess' there would have surely sensed my demonic aura. How would have I explained myself then?

I can't deny it, though. I'm worried.

"Pull yourself together," I mutter, "Miroku and Sango are there everything will be fine."

* * *

_This is bad._

I'm half dragging Kaede along as I sprint in the opposite direction of the shrine. Where's Miroku? Is Sango okay? Other people trip and crash into each other in their desperate need to escape. Children and women scream and sob in pure terror. Kaede is panting loudly, and I know I should slow down for her, but I just can't stop myself. The fear has taken over. The adrenaline going through me is the worst kind of rush- I know that if I let go of Kaede's hand I could outrun a car, but I would never leave her behind.

_This is bad. This is _really _bad._ I can't think anything else. My brain is over-loaded with the amount of adrenaline pumping through my system and the only thing I'm extremely aware of is the roar that echoes through the land. Flocks of birds soar from trees and take to the skies as the deafening howl drowns out the terrified screams of defenseless people.

Kaede trips and tears me to the ground with her.

"Are you okay?" I begin to panic. She clutches her leg.

"I... I'm not sure I can walk."

I can only hope that Miroku and Sango are safe.

Because god knows we aren't.

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**I'd like to apologize in advance for the three months it will probably take me to write the next chapter. (p.s. if you don't review i'll kill off Kagome and Inuyasha will hook up with Kikyo)**


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